Dragon Ball Universe
by AnimeKitten14
Summary: Inspired by the popular manga series by Akira Toriyama and the anime adaptation by Toei Animation. Instead of the story you're used to of Raditz to Buu (or Pilaf to Omega Shenron for some), this is a completely original story featuring many characters from the original timeline, as well as brand-new ones.
1. Introduction

Welcome to the world of Dragon Ball as you've never seen it!

In this universe, the story has unfolded in a completely different way from the manga and anime. The Saiyans were a treasure-hunting species that lived not long ago, pillaging each and every planet they could find.

That would soon change when the sinister Dr. Gero made his appearance. Gero researched the Saiyans and discovered the plans of the deceased King Vegeta. Their plans would eventually lead them to the Planet Earth, putting himself in danger.

After his shocking discovery, Gero sent an army of small, bug-like creatures known as the Cell Army to wipe out the Saiyan race on their very homeworld. The Saiyans, despite being known as the strongest species in the universe, stood little chance against Gero's army.

That brings us to Earth in the year 2520. Goku, a Saiyan himself, fights for the people of Earth while Dr. Gero remains in hiding as he has for 20 years. Meanwhile, the Z-Fighters, Goku's allies, aid him in defending Earth against any evils that appear.


	2. Part 1

Brackets [] indicate character intro.

Dr. Gero Arc: "Assault"

[Goku, the hero of Earth born as a Saiyan on Planet Vegeta. Z-Fighter.]

[Gohan, the son of Goku born and raised on Earth. Z-Fighter.]

[Piccolo, the second mentor of Gohan, born on Planet Namek. Z-Fighter.]

In seemingly the middle of nowhere, a small army of little bug-like creatures appear and begin attacking the Z-Fighters. Goku starts making guesses as to who these things are. "They've gotta be mutated flies. Or maybe wasps. Or... beetles?"

Annoyed, Piccolo tries to stay on the subject. "Why don't we just focus on beating them, and you can figure out what they are later, when I'm not here?"

"Fine, fine," Goku replied disappointed. "But who sent them here?"

"More like who is sending them here," said Gohan. "Every time we get rid of one, they come right back within ten seconds!"

"I can fix that problem," Piccolo said through a smirk. He then began charging ki, and shortly after released a massive explosion-like burst of energy, blowing everything and everyone around him away. "Before you ask, I might consider teaching you that sometime."

Out of nowhere, a voice started talking. A rather high voice at that. "That'd be almost as good as leaving some action for me every once in a while!" The voice was none other than Pan. "It'd be something really nice to do."

[Pan, daughter of Vegeta, born and rasied on Earth. Z-Fighter.]

"Sorry, Pan, but you just gotta get here sooner!" Gohan sheepishly admitted, almost as an excuse. Pan replied, "Well, excuuuse me, but I haven't mastered flying." Goku then put his hand on Pan's shoulder to encourage her. "We can carry you next time if you want. How's that sound?"

Suddenly another voice intruded in. "So sad. Is the poor little Saiyan feeling left out? Don't you worry. I will put you out of your misery right now!" As the voice was speaking, a figure walked out to reveal itself as Dr. Gero, who had finally come out of hiding.

Goku cautiously walked towards Gero. "May I ask who you are?"

The doctor immediately fired a Ki blast at Goku, who deflected it away. "It would be pointless to tell you as you are about to die."

Gohan then asked, "What do you want with us? What did we do to y- Oh, never mind. It's those weird bug things, isn't it?"

"OF COURSE IT'S THOSE WEIRD BUG THINGS!" the doctor yelled. "Those are my creations, the Cell Army: composed of thousands of Cells, they will be unstoppable under the proper leadership in the field. And I obviously can't have you getting in the way of my plans."

Dr. Gero proceeded to charge and fire several giant blasts of Ki at the Z-Fighters, while keeping a crazed, maniacal look on his face. "MUAHAHA! NOW do you see?! NOW do you feel my TRUE POWER?! This is the limit! BEYOND THE LIMIT! I AM THE STRONGEST IN THE UNIVERSE!"

He ceased fire, and after the smoke cleared, Gero found a green hand grabbing his shoulder. "So..." Piccolo said, as he seemingly appeared from nowhere. "That all you got?" The other three Z-Fighters also flew down from above. "You're not very nice, are you?" said Pan.

Gero's eyes could see, but his mind could not comprehend. He then turned around and stormed off into the distance. "Fine. I will add these calculations to the database and continue my ultimate project," he said.

Piccolo stared curiously at Dr. Gero, and couldn't help but ask. "What might that 'ultimate project' be?"

Gero continued to walk away. However, he stopped briefly to reply, "Let's just say the Cell Army is imperfect." After saying this, he disappeared in a flash of light along with the defeated Cells.

Goku looked at the ground while thinking. "What do you think he meant?" he said. Piccolo replied, "Bah, who knows? We'll just wait him out." "I suppose. In that case, let's go train!"

Gohan's stomach growled. "Can we get some dinner first? I'm starving..." he said.

The first encounter with Dr. Gero proved to be fateful, and there is much more yet to come. Will the evil scientist's ultimate plan be enough to defeat the Z-Fighters? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, the evil tyrant Freeza has set his sights on the Planet Earth, and his army with him. What will the outcome be of these upcoming dangers? Come back next time for Dragon Ball Universe #2 to find out!


	3. Part 2

Dr. Gero Arc: "Strength of a Prince"

[Dr. Gero, evil scientist, creator of the Cell Army. Unaffiliated.]

The mysterious doctor dragged back into his hidden lab, bringing many of his defeated Cells along with him.

"(How could this be?)" he thought to himself. "(My Army, defeated by a few mere Earthlings and a Namek! They will surely pay when I return...)"

Little did Gero know, the Z-Fighters are far from mere Earthlings.

Elsewhere, in a desert in the middle of nowhere, two strange alien soldiers scout the territory.

"How long do we have to do this, again?" one of them moaned.

"Until Lord Freeza has enough information!" the other yelled. "Keep your voice down, you know he can hear us!"

As fate would have it, Freeza did hear them. "Cease your insistent bickering before I make you."

Both soldiers yelped, "YES LORD Freeza! WHATEVER YOUR COMMAND LORD Freeza!"

Freeza simply chuckled from his space pod.

A few minutes of exploration later, someone appeared in front of the two soldiers.

"Eh?" said the first soldier as he examined the shadow. "Who are you? I thought there were no ki readings here!"

The figure suddenly shot a beam through the first soldier. "Think again," it said.

The second soldier could do nothing but whimper and shake. His comrade had been killed in one blast! Who could have that much power, or even those **kinds** of powers?!

"Wh-who are you?!..." he said, taking a few steps back.

The cloud over the sun moved, and the shadow cleared, revealing the figure as none other than Vegeta!

[Vegeta, rogue Saiyan elite, father of Pan. Unaffiliated]

"Tell me something before I kill you." Vegeta said.

"Kill me?... Oh, that won't be happening over here!" the soldier said confidently. He then proceeded to charge towards Vegeta and launch a burst of ki to his torso. "HAHA, HA HA, HAAAA! Take that, you nosy, spiky-haired..." His speech began to wear down as the smoke cleared. "...dumb, annoying... Earthling?"

Vegeta, unscathed, glared at him. "That's Prince Vegeta to you, scum."

Suddenly a massive explosion enveloped the landscape. The only one in one piece was Vegeta.

In Freeza's pod drifting in space, a soldier reported in.

"Lord Freeza, I regret to inform you that our two scouts on Planet 4032-877 have been terminated."

Freeza didn't open his eyes and simply asked, "By who?"

"We're not certain, but it may be the missing Saiyan King."

Now Freeza's eyes opened. This caught his interest. "I must know more," he said.

Back on Earth, in Goku's house, him and Gohan ate ravenously. Gohan's kid brother Goten was standing by. "I'm glad you guys don't eat like this **all** the time. That would be seriously annoying..."

"So?" Goku said, stuffing his face. "You and your mom make the best food! If you want us to eat normally, stop making such amazing stuff!"

Gohan just gave a thumbs-up. "Speaking of which," he said, "where is Mom?

"Oh," Goten replied, "she's out getting food for Pan. She says Vegeta is a bum and needs to get a job to take care of his daughter."

"Harsh," said Goku.

"Yeah, well... I'm just glad you guys are back home! I'm still wondering about what those Cell things are, and where they came from."

After eating all the food off his plate **s** , Gohan said, "We'll have to try finding that Dr. Gero guy and see if he knows more. He mentioned an ' _ultimate creation_ ' of some sort.

Goku finished eating as well, and got ready to head out. "I don't see why we don't start looking now. Eating is important, but let's face it. There are other things that need more attention." He walked out the door, grabbing a cupcake on the way.

Gohan and Goten just stared.

"What? Dessert!"

Vegeta has appeared on the scene, and a group of the Z-Fighters heads out to find Dr. Gero! What will these new developments mean for the future? Will the Z-Fighters meet with Vegeta? When will Freeza arrive on Earth, and will the heroes be prepared? Come back next time for _**Dragon Ball Universe**_ **#3**!


	4. Part 3

Dr. Gero Arc: "Four-Way Search"

Deep in the forest, Goku, Gohan, and Goten of the Son family search for any signs of Dr. Gero's laboratory, hidden far within the earth.

"Doesn't look like there's much here at all," said Gohan. "Mostly just trees and plants."

"Yeah," Goten replied, "It's not like he'd try to hide his base in an industrial place, right?"

Goku thought for a moment. "... Yes, actually, maybe he would!"

The idea surprised his sons. "So... which city?" Gohan asked.

Goku immediately jumped into the air and started flying. "Well, North City of course! That's the most densely populated, so no one would ever think to hide something there."

Gohan and Goten followed, not entirely convinced.

"Just follow my lead!" said Goku.

As the three head to the city, Pan finds a strange piece of something in the street.

"(Looks like part of armor or something...)" she thought to herself. "(I'll have to find the source.)"

So she started walking around East City, searching...

...and searching...

...and searching...

...and searching.

After about half an hour of searching through the entire city, she found nothing. Until she remembered the one place she didn't check.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "How didn't I think of **there**?"

She rushed off to whatever that place is... we'll get to that soon.

Elsewhere, in Dr. Gero's lab, he continues to work on his "ultimate creation" restlessly.

"I will finish Project Perfection, and I will destroy this planet for what they did to me..."

Suddenly his computer started beeping.

"Alert! Alert!" it shouted. "Missing material needed for interior component."

Gero looked at the computer. "Missing?... What would that be?"

The computer started calculating. "A small sample of a Saiyan."

"And where can I find one of those?" Gero said sarcastically. "They were all-"

"Directly above location," the computer interrupted.

Gero thought for a second and activated his search system. "Who, and how do they know about my base?!"

The scanner showed the Saiyan to be none other than Pan.

" **She's** a Saiyan?! One of those supposed 'heroes of Earth'? Does that mean they're all Saiyans?"

"No need to be so presumptuous, Doctor," said the computer. "We needn't worry if she's a Saiyan; she most likely doesn't even know."

Gero rushed out of the lab. "Look at you, using contractions. I'm going to follow her and get that sample, whatever it takes."

From there, Gero left the lab on lock-down and started following Pan stealthily.

Out in the ocean, Vegeta curiously searched for something...

"(If I don't find those _Dragon Balls_ before the Z-Flamers or whatever they're called do, I'll surely fall behind. I must wish for immense, maybe even unlimited strength from the so-called Eternal Dragon, and then I will be unstoppable!)"

Vegeta hopped from island to island, isthmus to isthmus trying to find even just one Dragon Ball.

Finally, in Freeza's space pod, he pondered deeply something he had heard earlier that day.

"And what about that legend?" Freeza's brother _Cooler_ said in a flashback.

Their father King Cold replied, "The Superb... Saikan...? Something like that?"

"Super Saiyan," said Cooler. "Forget it, probably just a myth."

Back in present time, Freeza thought to himself, "(Super Saiyan... what could that be? Could the apparent Saiyans on Earth know?)"

And so, the _Four-Way Search_ began. The outcomes will be determined soon, so stay tuned (if that makes sense here) for _**Dragon Ball Universe**_ **#4**!


	5. Part 4

Dr. Gero Arc: "Assignments"

Soon enough, Goku, Gohan, and Goten stumbled upon a hatch deep in an alley in North City.

"Just like I thought," said Goku. "That doctor's pretty smart to hide his base in a city."

Goten looked at his father. "But... how do we get in?"

Goku smirked at Goten and proceeded to rip the hatch off the ground.

"Like that."

The three jumped in to a dark laboratory.

Gohan looked around, attempting to see his surroundings. "It's no good," he said. "I can't see a thing. Looks like I'll have to use ki to sense my way around."

Suddenly the lights flashed over the room and the computer blared out, "Unauthorized personnel in the lab! Identify selves!"

Goku, shielding his eyes, replied, "We come from the Son family. I'm Goku, and these are my sons Gohan and Goten."

The computer seemingly thought briefly, and then responded, "That's all I needed to know. Your friend known as Pan was trying to go somewhere or another, but the genius Dr. Gero stopped her to get a sample of a Saiyan."

Just then, Gero himself conveniently entered in with a Cell dragging an unconscious Pan behind it. "Ah, the heroes! Just who I wanted to see. You're just in time to see me complete my ultimate creation."

Gohan looked with initial excitement. "Wow, sweet! We got great timing, didn't..."

He then realized the danger of the situation. "...we? Oh, never mind. What are you planning to do with her?"

Gero chuckled. "I'll tell you," he said, "if you can take down 100 Cells!"

The family was immediately teleported to a cylinder-shaped room. Then a hundred Cells appeared out of nowhere.

Goten seemed somewhat eager. "This is gonna be fun, but I won't mess around!"

So the fight began...

Meanwhile in the far reaches of the Earth, Vegeta has succeeded in finding 3 Dragon Balls already.

"(I will not give up on this goal!)" he thought to himself. "(I will surpass that... that... _**Goku**_... I will not let him stay stronger than me!)"

Just then, he stumbled upon some rocks with another Dragon Ball stuck in between them. He broke the rocks and grabbed it out.

"(That's number four. Which means it's time to check the Arctic.)"

During these events, the tyrant Freeza landed on Saturn to take a break.

"Always nice to get a stretch," he said to his allies waiting on the planet. "Sometimes those pods can really cramp you. We must improve them soon; that's an order."

He looked around.

"How far exactly is Earth from here?"

A soldier replied, "746 million miles, or 1.2 billion kilometers."

"I meant in **our** measurement."

The soldier stared for a second. "I have no idea. Approximately 2.5 hours."

"Good enough," Freeza said through an eye-roll.

After a short break, Freeza resumed his trip.

Elsewhere, deep in the midst of a cave, Piccolo trains sleeplessly.

He started thinking about the future. "(If Goku or Vegeta have anything to do with that "Super Saiyan" thing... I wonder how they'll handle it. I can only hope the presumed power doesn't overtake their mind and thinking. Otherwise there may be no one to stop them; at least that's what I fear.)"

A voice came out of nowhere and startled Piccolo. "Don't worry, big green."

He shouted, "Who are you? And do **not** call me that!"

Out of the fog appeared the Kai of Time, Chronoa. "I can assure you of two things. One, Goku and Vegeta are both Super Saiyans. And two, they will not lose control."

He looked shocked at her. "My apologies. I didn't realize it was you there."

"Don't worry about it," Chronoa said. "I'm not going to, like, wipe you from time or something."

This statement caught Piccolo's attention. "(I'll keep that in mind...) May I ask why I have the privilege of being honored with your presence?"

"I wanted to tell you, because I thought you'd be the most trustworthy at the moment. There's someone who altered history. I was wondering if you wanted to help me track them down, and stop them."

Piccolo again looked shocked at her. "I'd be honored."

"Then let's get started," she said.

Next time, Gero's ultimate creation awakens! Is it really all it's cracked out to be? Goku shows off his immense power! Could this be a new form? Come back next time for _**Dragon Ball Universe**_ **#5!**


	6. Part 5

Perfect Cell Arc: "Ultimate Creation Awakened"

In Dr. Gero's lab, the group of Z-Fighters took down 100 Cells in no time at all.

"Keep your promise," Gohan said. "What's your intent with Pan?"

Gero grumbled. "Did I promise that? Oh, it seems my memory fails me."

Goku looked at the doctor with an enraged expression and said, "Tell us if you don't want your lab to crumble over you."

"Fine, fine!" Gero replied. "I was going to tell you anyway."

He walked over to a machine and put Pan in it. He proceeded to close the door on it.

"I'm going to use not a **sample** of a Saiyan, but a **whole** Saiyan to complete my ultimate creation! Enjoy your last few minutes, heroes, because the flawless Cell will eradicate you! HAHAHAHAHAAA!"

Immediately he forcefully pushed down a lever, activating the machine. Pan's energy was draining, and the mysterious shadowed figure on a table was glowing.

Goten looked with a dazzled expression. "It's glowing, but it's still being covered by a shadow? That doesn't make any sense..."

"Feeble mind," Gero said. "Don't worry about such things when you should clearly be worrying about what's about to happen to you!"

Electricity filled the room, and flashes of light constantly enveloped everything. Up from the table rose a tall, green Cell.

"Perfect Cell."

The thundering voice was enough to frighten anyone. He simply looked at his creator, and then smirked.

"I am the Perfect Cell, yes? Your ultimate creation, whose sole purpose is to defeat all who stand in your way, yes?"

"Yes, that's right," said Gero. "You will do everything as I command you!"

Perfect Cell looked at the Z-Fighters. "I think I will do as I please instead, Doctor."

"Wh-what?! This isn't possible! I programmed complete loyalty into you!"

The newly born charged at the Z-Fighters and stopped right in front of Goten.

"Gah!..." Goten yelped.

Cell stared at him, and then kicked him to the other side of the room suddenly.

"Goten!" yelled Gohan. "What was that for?!"

He didn't answer and grabbed Gohan by the neck, then threw him to Pan's chamber.

Goku looked at Perfect Cell with a smile. "Looks like you got me, huh?"

Cell's smirk disappeared.

"Think again!" Goku yelled as he charged his Ki. "I've got something to show you that I think will prove pretty even! My base form isn't quite enough to fight on par with you, so this might help."

With that, a massive burst of light and energy flowed through the area, blowing a huge hole in the roof of the lab.

After the smoke cleared, Goku stood transformed as a Super Saiyan.

"Well? What do you think?"

Perfect Cell examined him and his power. "Impressive transformation. I've always heard Saiyans were unique. Don't forget this, though: I can regenerate. If just one of my cells or any tiny part of me survives, I will come back in fuller force, thanks to my Saiyan power from your friend."

Goku thought to himself, "(Ah, I see. That's what Gero was using Pan for... it's brilliant.) You've got one smart creator there, don't you?"

"Why yes," he replied. "But I won't need him for much beyond this point. But that's later. I'm going to take my time with you; I think this'll be fun."

"Me too," said Goku. "But I'm not gonna die here. _You_ just remember _that_."

After this, Goku and Perfect Cell charged at each other and initiated close combat. They fought and fought for a few minutes, alternating between melee and Ki.

Finally Gohan woke up next to Pan's chamber. He realized the button was right there, and, seizing the opportunity of Gero not paying attention, he pushed it, freeing the unconscious Pan.

"I'll get you out of here," he said, picking her up. "You and Goten both."

Dr. Gero and numerous Cells continued watching the battle, as best they could. The power of a Super Saiyan and a "perfect" being clashing can be pretty intense.

"So, Goku," said Perfect Cell. "I'm curious as to what exactly that form **is**. You called it 'Super Saiyan'; but what does that mean?"

Goku replied, "I'm not entirely sure myself. I achieved it once through training, and Piccolo told me all about it. It multiplies a Saiyan's base power by 50. Pretty cool, huh?"

Perfect Cell chuckled. "Indeed. I could certainly absorb that ability were I to defeat you. I could do it anyway, as a matter of fact, but I like to be fair."

Goten got up and started yelling, " _LIKE TO BE?_ You were just **born**!"

He was calmed down by Gohan. "Don't bother, bro. It's not worth it right now. We have to get out of here before Dad raises his power any more."

With that, Goten and Gohan, with Pan, left the scene to recover. The remaining crowd consisted of Goku, Perfect Cell, Gero, and a few Cells. The peak of the fight wasn't nearly reached yet.

Next time, Super Saiyan Goku VS Perfect Cell continues! A foreshadowing of a threat to come revealed? Unexpected help arrives! Which side are they on? Freeza grows ever closer to Earth, and he's due to arrive soon! WIll the Z-Fighters recover in time? All this in the conclusion to the Dr. Gero Saga next time in _**Dragon Ball Universe**_ **#6!**


	7. Part 6

Perfect Cell Arc: "Showdown! Saiyans VS Perfection"

Goku and Perfect Cell continued their fight for quite a while, but there was no one around who cared to keep track of the time. So they fought, and fought, and fought pushing the limit of being able to fight no more.

"Getting tired yet, Saiyan?" Perfect Cell asked.

Goku replied, "Are you kidding? I'm just getting started..."

"Is that so?" said Perfect Cell.

"...with my warm-up," Goku finished.

Perfect Cell's smirk disappeared, and he grumbled. "Mayhaps I should finish this sooner than I was hoping. You'll have the dissatisfaction of not using your full power against me."

Just then, out of nowhere, a fist hit Perfect Cell across the cheek, scraping against his bones. It was none other than Vegeta, in the form of a Super Saiyan.

"Ready to settle this, you piece of scrap?" said the confident Saiyan.

Perfect Cell wiped the blood trailing down his mouth away. "That was unexpected," he said. "Nonetheless, I shall fight you if you so desire."

At this, Vegeta proceeded to destroy Perfect Cell, skill-wise. The latter couldn't get a single hit in, and before he knew what hit him, he was just about defeated.

With a grinning smile and a menacing look, Vegeta launched a Galick Gun to Perfect Cell and obliterated him, leaving only his left hand.

"Scum," Vegeta said.

Right after this, Perfect Cell's hand began to shake, and out of the blue his entire body regenerated, even stronger than before thanks to his Saiyan powers from Pan.

Perfect Cell said immediately, "Now then, where were we? First, I should mention that my power has increased exponentially. I'm much over your current level."

"Is that so?" Vegeta said, not losing his smile. "Well, I have a treat for you! Yes, that's right. I have an advanced Super Saiyan form!"

Vegeta started charging his ki, followed by a burst of light. After the smoke cleared, Vegeta stood transformed into a Super Saiyan 2nd Grade.

"Let's continue. I don't want any fancy appearances to get in the way," Vegeta said.

And so they did continue. Vegeta and Perfect Cell fought an even-matched battle for a good amount of time.

Goku simply watched the whole duration up to now. "(Vegeta's definitely stronger than before, but he can't maintain this form for long. It's draining too much ki and he's a bit slower.)"

After this, Goku joined in the fight, aiding Vegeta.

"I didn't need your help," said Vegeta.

Goku replied, "Keep thinking that."

Perfect Cell became enraged at his sudden disadvantage, and realized the only way to win is go to full power. "Take this, you disgusting Saiyans!" he yelled as he boosted his power up to full. He then fired a black and red energy beam filled with dark energy. "Can you stand against my **perfect NEGARAY?!** "

Having very good reflexes, Goku and Vegeta fired a Kamehameha and Final Flash respectively against Perfect Cell's Negaray. The struggle between the beams was equal, with both sides taking turns winning.

All of a sudden, Pan returned to the battlefield and launched a Kamehameha next to Goku and Vegeta. With this, Perfect Cell was being completely destroyed chunk by chunk. "This can't be happening! I am perfect! How?! Why?! NO! **NO!** _ **NOOOOOOOO-!**_ "

Perfect Cell was gone, with not even the smallest cell surviving.

The entirety of the Cell Army deactivated, as their source of power was depleted. Dr. Gero, upon seeing this, disappeared into the sunset. Goku and Vegeta reverted to base form, and the latter fell from exhaustion caused partially by the Super Saiyan 2nd Grade form.

Goku observed Pan, and stated, "You know, that Kamehameha had the power of a Super Saiyan packed into it."

Pan blushed and replied, "Oh, really? Heh... Well, anyway, Gohan and Goten are coming back with Senzu beans, since you're pretty beat up. I'll just have to wait a while to get my strength back."

Goku looked off into the sunset. "Well, all in a day's work, I suppose. As long as nothing else unexpected-"

He was interrupted by something crashing down like a meteor.

It was a space pod.

It was Freeza's space pod.

Elsewhere, in the arctic, two completely differently crafted pods landed in the ice.

"Is it them?" Piccolo said to Chronoa.

She responded, "I think it's them."

Dr. Gero's plans were foiled, and Perfect Cell's schemes were stopped, but Freeza has finally landed on Earth! What dire consequences will this bring upon the Z-Fighters, and the Earth itself? Next time begins Chapter 2: The Freeza Saga! Don't miss _**Dragon Ball Universe**_ **#7**!


	8. Part 7

Freeza Arc: "The Evil Tyrant Freeza"

Freeza just stared, not letting out even the quietest sound. Goku and Pan stood shocked and confused as to who this was.

"Who is the leader of this planet?"

Finally, a calm yet stern voice spoke but a few simple words.

Goku replied with a rather weak voice, "I don't think I should tell you. Who are **you**?"

The small-statured Frost Demon explained his story: "I am Freeza, known among my underlings as Lord Freeza. I command the Freeza Army, and my current goal is to conquer all within the North Galaxy, that is this Galaxy, and enslave it. Once my current goal reaches fruition, I will proceed to conquer this Universe."

"Sorry," said Pan, "but we can't let you do that. We're part of the group that fights for the Earth and its people. We can't let someone evil like you take it over!"

Freeza replied, "Is that so?"

He then brutally attacked the already tired out and injured Goku, leaving Pan helpless to do anything but watch.

When Freeza finally ceased, Pan asked him to give the Z-Fighters some time to rest and recover. Freeza agreed to give them 24 hours, although mentioned that his soldiers _'might'_ come after them. After this, he left the scene.

Some time later, once Goku and Pan were healed via the Senzu beans, the Z-Fighters started to devise a strategy. They settled on negotiation, and they'd only resort to action be it absolutely necessary.

About an hour later, some of Freeza's soldiers appeared in front of Goten and started mocking him.

"Well, lookie there: it's a Saiyan." said one named Appule.

"Nah, he's only a HALF-Saiyan!" another one called Raspberry said, mockingly.

One called Orlen also mocked: "Heh, didja get lost, you little Earthling-Saiyan... erm..."

Appule replied, "Earth Saiyan?"

"Saiyearthanling!" said Raspberry.

Goten looked at the soldiers unimpressed. "Are you done?" he said monotonously.

He then defeated the three soldiers relying solely on his melee skill. They responded by running away, like any coward underling of an evil dictator-to-be would do.

Hours passed, hours dedicated to training on the Z-Fighters' side, and hours dedicated to scheming on Freeza's side. The two groups joined: the Z-Fighters consisting of Goku, Gohan, Goten, Vegeta (who trained with the group reluctantly), and Pan. Freeza's side consisted of Freeza, Zarbon (his right-hand man), and Dodoria (his left-hand man).

Freeza was the first to speak: "Just so you know, I won't be listening to your peace offers or whatever it is you have."

"Great. There goes that idea," said Goku.

"However," Freeza continued, "I will give you a suggestion. Why not try fighting me in an order of your choice?"

The Z-Fighters started considering the offer, but Goten, in his young age, got bored and decided to greet Freeza's team.

"Hi, I'm Goten!" he said. "What're your names?"

Zarbon and Dodoria replied accordingly.

"You look pretty weak," Goten said to Dodoria.

This mildly irritated Dodoria, to say the least. "What did you say, brat?"

"I said you look pretty weak."

Upon hearing this, Dodoria tried to pound Goten into the dirt.

Goten dodged and exclaimed, "Watch it!" and then started kicking Dodoria in the face repeatedly. He started using different melee techniques and eventually knocked Dodoria out (defeating him, for those keeping track).

Zarbon facepalmed and said to Freeza, "If you'll kindly excuse me, I have to check on something."

Freeza granted him permission, and he left.

Finally, the Z-Fighters decided on an order: Gohan, Pan, Vegeta, and Goku. Goten was left out to watch for safety.

Now the stage is set for the battle between Freeza and the Z-Fighters. Who will come out on top? And what other forces are rising in the midst of these events? Come back next time for _**Dragon Ball Universe**_ **#8**!


	9. Part 8

Freeza Arc: "Gohan Takes the Stage"

The brave young half-Saiyan walked up towards Freeza. He was sweating physically and his knees were shaking mentally. He was about to experience the toughest fight in his life thus far, as it seems.

"Ready when you are, sir."

The nervous Gohan finally let out a sentence. Freeza signaled Gohan to come at him.

Gohan charged straight towards Freeza and immediately disappeared. He reappeared unexpectedly in the same spot and kicked Freeza flying into the air. He then fired a few Ki shots at Freeza, who eventually landed on the ground on his feet.

"You're not bad for a Saiyan," said Freeza. "But I've only been using 10% of my full power. I suppose I can up it to 15%."

The two continued fighting, this time with Freeza having the upper hand.

Gohan, fortunately sustaining little damage, revealed, "I have some tricks too. Let me show you one."

Gohan started powering up, and after only a few seconds, he transformed into a Super Saiyan, achieved by the training prior.

"It's called a Super Saiyan. Ever heard of it?"

Freeza looked and replied, "I have, actually. I was sure it was just a myth. Let's see just how much better you are."

They continued their fight once more, being more equal this time.

Gohan noticed this and asked, "How are you so much better than before? I have a power boost now, but you never went up from 15%."

Freeza chuckled. "I'm simply using more skill now," he said. "I tend to do this in fights that actually give me a challenge. Not that you are much of one."

Gohan chose to follow this by upping his skill as best he could. He started moving fast enough to appear as teleportation, all around Freeza. He finally stopped above him and launched a very powerful Kamehameha straight down at Freeza.

"What do you think of that?"

Freeza dusted himself off and replied, "Impressive. But those speed techniques won't save you for long. I'll track your movements soon."

Goku noticed something and made a mental note.

"It seems like Freeza can't sense ki," he said to his group. "If he can't see you, then you're invisible to him."

Vegeta watched silently with folded arms. Goku could tell he was pondering all of this.

Pan watched anxiously. "I'm both very excited and scared to get up there. But still, I hope Gohan pulls it off."

"I'm not so sure," Goku said in a very serious tone. "Freeza's not even using a quarter of his power, and Gohan's almost at his limit. At this point, he's gonna need a miracle to win."

"That's what I'm afraid of. Maybe Freeza will suddenly drop his power and go off-guard, giving Gohan an opportunity to defeat him?"

Goku didn't say anything. He just kept watching.

Freeza started using the full potential of his current power fraction and gained the upper hand on Gohan once more.

"Are you getting worn out? Should I lower my power for you, or just end this right now?" Freeza said mockingly. He proceeded to bring out a very thin beam of energy called Finger Beam, and started shooting Gohan's legs with it.

"Have you had enough? How long can you stand the pain?" Freeza said with a louder tone of voice.

Gohan struggled to keep his feet planted in the ground. "I can't... let up..." he said weakly.

Freeza started shooting him again, this time aimed at his torso. Finally Gohan fell.

Freeza again mocked Gohan, saying, "Too bad. So sad. You can't even stand up now. Looks like I win."

Pan carried Gohan back to the Z-Fighter group.

"Pan..." he said, again weakly. "You know what the stakes here are, don't you? Freeza could destroy Earth if he wanted to, and he probably wouldn't even have to use half of his power."

"Don't worry, Gohan," Pan replied. "I'll do my best, and if I fall, we still have my dad and your dad. You know how strong they are."

"Sure thing," said Gohan.

With that, Pan stepped up to face Freeza. Will the Z-Fighters really have to resort to their last hope, or will Pan finish the job? The battle for Earth resumes next time in _**Dragon Ball Universe**_ **#9**!


	10. Part 9

Freeza Arc: "The World Rests on Pan's Shoulders"

At this moment, the world had no one else to look towards if they wanted their planet to survive. Thankfully, no one knew about the death match against Freeza, or the Earth just might go into chaos. The second round began with Pan, who was quite anxious to begin.

"Ready?" she confidently asked Freeza.

"Of course," he replied.

Pan then launched a huge frenzy of moderately-sized Ki blasts straight at Freeza. The smoke covered the battlefield, and Freeza couldn't see a thing. This seemed to prove Goku's theory right, but time would tell in its own... time.

While Freeza was still struggling to make out what was in front of him, he was unexpectedly punched in the gut with extreme force, causing blood to be coughed out of his mouth.

Pan removed her hand and started a flurry of kicks directed all over Freeza's body. She eventually landed an uppercut which sended him directly up into the air, and he was sent straight back down into the soil by another hard kick.

Pan landed and calmly waited for Freeza to get back up. She knew this fight was far from over.

"You're not half-bad to say the least," Freeza uttered as he stumbled back onto his feet. "I would expect much less from a Saiyan. I even raised my power to 25% before this fight started."

This statement shocked the entire Z-Fighter group standing by.

"A quarter?!" Vegeta said, very surprised. "He was using a **quarter** against her?! And she did **that?!** "

Goku thought about this without saying anything out loud. "(Pan is a lot stronger than any of us ever thought. I'm not convinced even she knew about this power.)"

Pan looked at Freeza confidently once more. "25%, huh? I'm not impressed. Why don't you raise it some more?"

Freeza chuckled. "Very well. 30% it is."

The two combatants continued fighting, now with Pan having only a slight advantage, but an advantage nonetheless.

Freeza fired a barrage of Finger Beams aimed at Pan, who dodged each and every one.

"How could you be so fast to dodge every single one...?" Freeza said in disbelief.

Pan replied, "I don't think it's my speed as much as it's my skill. I train a lot harder than anyone else does. I'm still waiting for them to step it up."

Freeza angrily grinded his teeth at the mere thought of this. If she was so much stronger than him at his current fraction, how much better are the two other Saiyans?

Pan charged and fired a Galick Gun right at Freeza. At the last second, Freeza raised his power to 40% and deflected it back several times faster than its original speed. The next thing Pan knew, her own attack was engulfing her.

"Hmph," Freeza said as he lowered his power back down to 20%.

Pan returned to the Z-Fighter group, not nearly as injured as one might imagine.

"How was I?" she asked. "I mean, besides me losing."

"You were great," Goku replied. "Much more powerful than we thought. Keep training and you'll surpass me in no time."

Vegeta walked up in front of Freeza.

"Finally," Freeza said. "I've been waiting for you."

Vegeta only glared at him. "And why would that be, Your Egoness?"

"I heard you have some ties with the King of Saiyans. I want to see the real power of your race."

Vegeta finally looked at Freeza head-on. "I have vowed since I was just a small boy that I will show an entire race the wholly true power of the Saiyans. I will break through the limit and surpass any and all who dare challenge me. I will crush anyone who decides to become "stronger" than I do. Those people will perish by my hand, no matter who they are or what relation they have to me. I was the Prince, now I am the King of Saiyans, and I will become the sole most powerful fighter in this entire Universe and anything that lies beyond! I am Vegeta, the one who rightfully deserves the throne of the Saiyan King!"

Freeza yawned. "Boring speech. Let's get on with it."

This obviously enraged Vegeta. "You're going down, you Frost Demon scum."

Will Vegeta really live up to his dreams? Will he be the one to defeat Freeza? The battle continues next time in _**Dragon Ball Universe**_ **#10**!


	11. Part 10

Freeza Arc: "The Pride of the Heir"

Once the brief throwing of minor insults between Vegeta and Freeza was over, the proclaimed Saiyan King transformed into a Super Saiyan. Freeza held his power at a steady 20%, and the two began to fight rather on par. Vegeta started a long chain of attacks alternating between hard kicks, harder punches, and huge Ki blasts.

He placed both of his hands together, and fired a giant beam of energy at Freeza, yelling out the name of this technique, "FINAL FLAAAASH!"

Freeza managed to block the blast for a few seconds, before deflecting it towards the Z-Fighter group. Goku responded by turning Super Saiyan briefly to negate the blast.

"Careful, Freeza," he warned. "If you try to attack us out of the battlefield, we'll have to disqualify you."

Freeza rolled his eyes and looked at Vegeta. "I can tell you're holding back. You must have something else in store?"

Vegeta smirked. "I'm glad you didn't underestimate me."

He charged up his Ki massively and transformed into a new form achieved through training, Super Saiyan 2.

"I know, it's not much." the King admitted. "However, it's much more efficient than a form I used earlier, which greatly slowed me down."

"Whatever works," Freeza replied, raising his power up to 35%. "Anything to get you to shut up."

Vegeta replied, "I was thinking the same thing. I'm going to shut you up for good!"

Immediately after saying this, Vegeta dashed right in front of Freeza and threw a punch at his face. Freeza just barely blocked it, and threw his own punch towards Vegeta's stomach. Vegeta blocked that as well, putting the two in a position where neither one could move without taking a hit.

"Heh," Freeza chuckled. "I'll tell you one thing. You aren't terrible either. You managed to detect my speed even this high up in my power."

"High?" Vegeta said. "I wouldn't call this high. No, nowhere near it. I'm only getting started with this fight."

Both Vegeta and Freeza then broke away from each other simultaneously.

Freeza replied, "That's just too bad then, because I'm about to finish the fight. Unless you use every bit of your power!"

"100%?" said Vegeta. "All right, I'll do as you say."

Both of them charged at one another and started a melee clash in the sky, with only the effects of the blows being visible. The skirmish lasted for a few seconds, giving the Z-Fighters enough time to observe.

"(Wow...)" Goku thought. "(I can't believe Vegeta's improved so much. Maybe he just never used this much power.)"

He looked at Gohan and Pan and told them, "Just so you know, Vegeta's not using all of his power. He's at about 80%, but I don't think he'll ever humble himself enough to go at his full, especially not against Freeza."

Gohan looked at his father. "Really? Wow. I'll have to improve a whole lot if I ever want to fight him."

The two fighters finally returned to the ground. Vegeta was clearly exhausted.

Freeza raised his power once again, to 40% now. "It's about time I finish you off, don't you think?"

He then launched a thin, razor-sharp disc called a Death Saucer to Vegeta, cutting his neck. Vegeta was too worn-out to dodge, and as such, he took the attack in its full force.

"Urgh... I forfeit..."

The King of Saiyans threw the long match shamefully. He reverted back to his base and surprisingly returned to the Z-Fighter group. Pan then tried to comfort him.

"All right, this is it," said Goku, the last fighter against Freeza.

"Finally," Freeza said. "When you lose, I think I'll just get rid of this planet; it bores me so."

Goku became a Super Saiyan and spoke with a stern voice. "I'm not going to let you destroy this planet. I'll stop you and save this planet. But first, I'm going to offer you a chance to stay with us, and become a guardian of this planet and Universe."

"Don't bore me further with your petty offers," Freeza yelled. "I'm going to defeat you, and I'll have the satisfaction of killing you once I destroy your precious planet."

"So be it," Goku replied. "Let's get this going!"

The final match is about to begin! Who will come out on top, Goku or Freeza? Will Earth really be destroyed? And what will become of Vegeta, with his pride now damaged? Come back next time for _**Dragon Ball Universe**_ **#11**!


	12. Part 11

Freeza Arc: "Defeat Freeza! Last Chance"

As soon as the battle began, Goku knew this wasn't going to be easy. Not only from watching Freeza's battles against the other Z-Fighters, but also from sensing his power.

Up to this point, Goku had sustained no damage against a Freeza at 40% power.

Freeza started becoming noticeably angry and raised his power to half his maximum.

"I don't know when you Saiyans got so strong," he said, "but I won't stand for it any longer! I will crush you here, and exterminate you along with this planet!"

"Yeah," Goku replied, "I know. But I told you already, I'm not letting that happen."

Goku proceeded to teleport in front of and kick Freeza straight across his face, causing him to fly several yards away. Goku followed this attack up by kicking him straight down into the soil, and finally launching a Kamehameha while Freeza was down.

Freeza picked himself up and curiously asked Goku something.

"How much power are you using?"

"Oh, that," said Goku. "I'd say about 30%."

Freeza ground his teeth upon hearing this and forcefully raised his power to 75%.

Vegeta noticed this right as it occured. "Three quarters?!" he said.

Gohan and Pan looked at him.

"Of course," Gohan said. "It **is** my dad, after all. Let's just hope Freeza doesn't do what he did to you."

Pan replied, "Don't lose hope yet. Freeza's running out of things he can do creatively. He must know that your dad will predict nearly every action he performs."

Freeza started bluffing by appearing confident. "I can destroy this planet whenever I want to," he said. "I never made a **promise** saying I had to wait until the match was over!"

Goku realized he was telling the truth, bluffing or not. He thought, "(I have to finish this now or we'll really lose Earth. Freeza's definitely not kidding around here.)"

After this, he transformed into Super Saiyan 2, just like Vegeta had done. He attacked with a very strong uppercut followed by a kick right to the gut. Freeza countered by wrapping his tail around Goku's neck and chaining repeated blows to his face. He finished with a hard elbow to the face and let him go.

"I can't tell who's winning," Pan said. "They both look tired."

Vegeta replied, "It's obviously Goku. He hasn't been fighting nearly as long as Freeza, and Super Saiyan 2 doesn't drain your Ki at all if mastered. Freeza, on the other hand, is using three quarters of his power, and I suspect he's about to use the last one."

As fate would have it, Goku was asking Freeza to up himself. "Why don't you use your full power, already? If you want to win so bad, then do it!"

Freeza growled. "Have it your way, monkey." Finally, the Frost Demon raised his power up to 100%. There was no turning back for either side here.

They continued fighting an epic battle, seemingly completely even. Both of them were moving much too fast for the Z-Fighters to see. Not even Vegeta could find them. All they could do was try to follow them using Ki and hope Goku would find a way to win.

Goku was progressively raising his power, while Freeza's was slowly decreasing. After minutes of fighting high in the air, the two landed back on the ground.

"It's over."

The voice of a Super Saiyan beyond a Super Saiyan made Freeza, even just slightly, tremble. "Wh-what do you mean?!" Freeza said.

Goku replied, "Your strength will be depleted if you don't give up now. You've lost. I'm still willing to forgive you and-"

" **NEVER!** " Freeza yelled. "I WILL NEVER JOIN FORCES WITH A **DISGUSTING** _ **SAIYAN!**_ "

Absolutely refusing to lose, Freeza even attempted to double the limit of his power, somehow trying to raise it to 200%.

Goku called out to his son, "Gohan! I need your help!"

"Right!" Gohan replied, jumping next to his father, also becoming a Super Saiyan. "I get you."

The two charged a gigantic Kamehameha sphere in their hands, both at full power, launching it at Freeza. Not even he, at double his maximum power, could stand up to a 2x Full Power Super Saiyan Kamehameha.

He let out one final prideful cry: " _ **HOW CAN THIS BE?! I AM FREEZA-!**_ "

And with that, Freeza was launched into space. If he wasn't officially defeated before, he was now.

With the battle over, every one of the Z-Fighters had exhauted all of their power.

Pan noted, "You know, teamwork just keeps on proving itself."

Goku chuckled. "Heh, yeah. But, please... no more surprises."

Vegeta disappeared, and the Z-Fighters returned home, recapping everything that happened to Goten.

"Wow," he said. "Do you think I could become a Super Saiyan too?"

Pan replied, "You might have enough potential to become a Super Saiyan 3!"

"Sorry to ruin the moment," Goku said. "But I have a proposal. Would you three like to train with me, for a year, in real time?"

The three immediately agreed, much to Goku's surprise.

Elsewhere, in the middle of space, two mysterious beings ominously loomed over the Planet Earth, one female, one male.

"This planet will be under our control soon," the former said. "We'll be unstoppable. And you'll be the _strongest_."

The battle with Freeza has finally concluded, and the Earth has been saved. How much will this one-year training session pay off for the Z-Fighters? And what new threats lurk this Universe? Come back next time for _**Dragon Ball Universe**_ **#12** , a new beginning!


	13. Special 1

The Ginyu Force: "Entrance and Vengeance"

Five figures dressed in battle armor were shouting names into the air.

"GULDO!" said the first.

"RECOOME!" said the second.

"BURTER!" the third.

"JEICE!" the fourth.

The fifth, "Last but certainly not least, CAPTAIN GINYU!"

Finally all at once they said, "Together we are **THE GINYU FORCE**!"

Indeed. The Ginyu Force were Freeza's top squad in the entirety of his army, even above that of Dodoria and Zarbon. A simple rehearsing of their ridiculous group pose has the potential to stray off into a debate of the most honorable member among the Army outside of the Force. However, this time it was merely a discussion of the plan of action that should be taken regarding avenging their leader Freeza's death.

The Captain of the Force, rather obviously named Ginyu, spoke, "These sore offenders have disgraced the Freeza Army by killing our master! We will surely avenge him, won't we, boys?"

Guldo, the lowest-ranking member, replied, "Of course we will! Sure, we don't know where the guys who killed him are, but we'll make up for that... somehow!"

Recoome, the brawn of the team, Burter, the fastest member, and Jeice, the most strategic, all argued with each other on who should be the second-to-leader in the mission, in a noticeably loud tone.

Ginyu responded by yelling into their ears, "HOW ABOUT THIS? YOU'RE ALL SECOND!"

"Eh, fine, fine," said Jeice. "What's our plan of attack, though?"

Burter altered Jeice's comment. "More like our plan in general."

Ginyu explained and mapped out their plan.

"First, we'll take the Five-Man Pod and head to the South Galaxy. Once we get there, we'll drop in for a friendly visit on Lord Freeza's brother Cooler. We will pretend to submit ourselves to his command as complete underlings to him only, but once he's off-guard and I give you the signal, we're going to back-stab him and exterminate him, which will promote me to the head of the Cooler Army- scratch that, the GINYU ARMY over the entire South Galaxy!"

Recoome said in response, "HA! It's foolproof! But I wouldn't expect any less from our Captain!"

The Force agreed with this plan amongst themselves, and shortly thereafter, proceeded to enter the Five-Man Pod on a course to the South Galaxy.

Next time: Part 2!


	14. Special 2

The Ginyu Force: "Sidetracked"

A lenghty voyage to the South Galaxy continued, with no interruptions thus far into the trip. However, as one may predict, the Ginyu Force was indeed approaching trouble.

"An asteroid field?!" Ginyu shouted. "This wasn't in the route data!"

The Force found themselves seemingly lost in an asteroid field. No immediate sighting of any other objects, animate or inanimate. All that could be seen were asteroids.

"Hey, captain," said Jeice. "My Scouter's detecting three living energy sources all of a sudden."

Recoome added, "Mine too."

The Ginyu Force did, in fact, encounter life. It was none other than Cooler's top group, the Armored Squadron.

"Well, well. If it isn't the Ginyu Force!" the leader, Salza, said mockingly. "Did you get lost in a scary asteroid field?"

This remark greatly irritated Ginyu. "Who do you think you are, trying to mess with the Ginyu Force?!" he yelled.

"Someone you can't even touch," said Dore. "Our ships are separated."

Neiz also joined in. "Also, we're the clear cut better team! You guys are just rip-offs!"

"Oh, YEAH?!" Guldo yelled. "We're the original! You're the REAL rip-offs!"

The incessant arguing continued, until Burter finally spoke up. "All right, ENOUGH already! Neither of us are rip-offs! We're just equivalents across other Galaxies."

Surprisingly, both teams agreed to this as soon as it was spoken.

"Sorry for any trouble we may have caused you," Ginyu apologized.

Salza replied, "Oh, no, it was all us. But regardless, don't worry about it."

With that, the groups 'shook hands' and went their separate ways.

"All right!" Ginyu said. "Now that we're out of that dumb asteroid field and finally back on track, let's get to the South Galaxy!"

The Force cheered this notion, and as such, they resumed their voyage.

Next time: the conclusion!


	15. Special 3

The Ginyu Force: "The Mission"

"Well, we did it."

Captain Ginyu was clearly excited while maintaining a calm composure. And for good reason. Traveling to another Galaxy is never easy.

Several guards did their assigned job outside of Cooler's base, which was a spaceship even bigger than the one the Force knows as Freeza's.

"Hello," the Captain kindly said to the guards. "We're visiting from the North Galaxy. We'd just like to see Coole-"

He was interrupted by a smack on the shoulder from Burter.

" **Lord** Cooler."

The guards briefly stared with a very stern look before replying, "Sure, come in."

Sure enough, each member of the Force let out a sigh of relief and proceeded to walk into the ship.

"Greetings. I was expecting you."

This voice speaking directly to the Ginyus was the one and only of Freeza's brother.

Jeice nervously spoke back. "H-Hello, Lord C-Cooler."

"Oh, there's no need for a formal introduction. I know who you are. Please, allow me to begin the tour. Would you like refreshments as well?"

Recoome and Guldo experienced noticeable difficulty in playing along with the tour, grumbling along the way in jealousy.

"Why does he get all the good stuff?" Guldo said.

Recoome added, "Not to mention they're always polished and shiny."

In an attempt to correct them, Ginyu smacked them each across their cheeks. "Quiet! Just pay attention to the tour!"

The two tried but still fell short. After quite a while, Cooler ended the tour in his personal "throne" room.

"Did you enjoy it?" he asked.

"Of course," Ginyu replied. "But we're going to have to get rid of you now, to start satisfying the wrath of Freeza!"

Cooler chuckled at this and revealed a secret of his own. "I knew about your plan the whole time, you know. Why don't you use your Scouters there to scan my power?"

Once they detected his power, they immediately ran out of the room to escape. As expected, many soldiers of the Cooler Army noticed and were alerted of this infiltration, and began pursuing the Force.

This caught the attention of the Ginyus, which prompted them to flee faster than before, and possibly even faster than they ever have.

Jeice stopped and realized something. "Why are we running? We are the mighty Ginyu Force, not a bunch of cowards! We should fight, not run!"

The rest of the Force concurred and turned to fight. Together they quickly defeated several dozen soldiers. Guldo utilized his psychic abilities, Recoome his brute strength, Burter his speed, and Jeice his wit.

Shortly thereafter, Recoome realized that something was off. "Where'd the Captain go?"

Behind them, Cooler walked up holding out his hand.

"I have a proposal to offer you four."

Meanwhile, Ginyu had already left.

"Sorry, boys, but I'm heading to this Earth place. I think it'll be the best place to exact our revenge for Lord Freeza. I'll avenge you!"

He then turned to his computer. "What's the ETA for my arrival on Earth?"

"One week," the reply came out.

Next time, the main story resumes!


	16. Part 12

Time Breakers Arc: "Goku's Student?! One Year Later"

In Age 2520, Dr. Gero had come out of hiding to finish the construction of his ultimate creation, the flawless standout of the Cell Army, Perfect Cell. Gohan and Goten were quickly taken out, leaving Goku alone. Thankfully, he had a then hidden ability to suddenly increase his power by 50 times, a form known as Super Saiyan. Perfect Cell regenerated constantly, even against a massive attack from Vegeta, who had also become a Super Saiyan. He had gone even further to an advanced but inefficient stage known as Second Grade Super Saiyan. With teamwork and a Super Saiyan-esque Kamehameha from Goku and Pan, Perfect Cell was destroyed and Dr. Gero's ambitions were halted.

Immediately following these events, the evil tyrant known as Freeza arrived on Earth. The Z-Fighters had only a day to plan and train. After a long, tiring battle, the Z-Fighters defeated Freeza, once again utilizing teamwork.

Now, one year has passed. A year dedicated to training between Goku, Gohan, Goten, and Pan. Vegeta disappeared after the fight with Freeza concluded.

The mother of Gohan and Goten, and the wife of Goku, Chi-Chi, came out of the family's household to check on the training session as she did here and there. This time, she couldn't have checked at a better one, because they had just wrapped up.

"Hey, Chi-Chi! We're finally all done!" a cheerful but exhausted Goku said. His gi was dirty, ragged, and even ripped in various spots across it.

"About time! I lost track of how long it had been," she replied. "At least we've been in touch, though."

Gohan looked at his own uniform and said, "I might need a shower..."

Pan replied, "We all do."

The group was gladly welcomed back into the house by Chi-Chi.

In the front yard of the house, a figure with a dark, purple aura around it stepped towards the house. It was none other than one of Dr. Gero's Cells.

"Is that what I think it is-?!" Gohan said in disbelief.

Goku put on a serious face at the sight of one of these monstrous creations. "What's going on here?" he said.

Suddenly, the Cell leaped forward in an attempt to attack Chi-Chi. At just the right moment, another figure jolted in and punted the Cell flying far into the clouds.

"My apologies," she said. "I should've taken care of him before."

The person who stood before them had a humanoid build and looked quite young, though still older than Gohan and Pan.

"Oh, yeah! I need to introduce myself. I'm Dawn. I come from the Ti- er, I'm just visiting this city."

Goku lowered his defenses to neutrality. "Hey there. I'm Goku, and this is my family, Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten, along with our ally Pan. We're the Z-Fighters, a group that fights to protect Earth from any threats that may endanger our planet."

"About that," Dawn replied. "You should probably know that I'm your student now."

Just who is Dawn? Where does she really come from? And why is she Goku's student? Answers and more next time in _**Dragon Ball Universe**_ **#13**!


	17. Part 13

Time Breakers Arc: "Flashing Back to Dawn's Past"

Amidst what is commonly referred to as "the middle of nowhere" lied a trail. All evidence suggested it was purposefully created.

Piccolo, making precise observations, said to Chronoa, "I think we should follow it. Carefully, of course, but follow it."

Chronoa simply nodded, and they went.

Elsewhere, Goku's expression seemed more shocked than it ever had been.

"My... student?!" he said with a very confused tone. "I wasn't told about this!"

"It's the truth," Dawn replied. "I've been sent here, but I can't tell you by whom unless you come to terms with me."

Goku calmed down and responded, "All right, all right. Sure. I'll train you. I'm not really anyone special, but I appreciate your earnesty."

"Great!" Dawn said as she proceeded to give Goku a hug, rather awkwardly. Certainly this caused the Z-Fighters to stare for a few moments.

"Okay, okay. Now I'll tell you where I come from," Dawn said. "A year and a half ago, I was your regular ol' citizen. Nothing noteworthy about me besides, uh... looks, as I've been told. But that's subjective. So, one day, this capsule-shaped pod shows up in the city. A young guy with purple hair and black clothes steps out and asks me to join the Time Patrol. I ask for an explanation, and he rushes me into the machine, a time machine. On the way to his base of operations, he explains what the Time Patrol is: an organization that works to maintain order within the flow of time and prevent the plans of those who try to alter it. Apparently I was chosen by someone to help with this, so I obviously agreed. I don't want people messing with time! After I was introduced, I started training in Time Patrolling and my usual martial arts for 6 months. Following that, some really bad distortions started popping up, and we've been trying to track them down for about a year in real time. Thanks to time travel, we haven't aged a week.

"And that brings me to now. I need to train under you to get stronger, so I can become the ultimate fighter and bring order back to the flow of history."

Once he took everything in, Goku replied, "I understand. I'll definitely do what I can to train you. But I'm not sure I'd call myself the best fighter around; I'm sure there's **someone** better than me."

"Do you have any clues on who these guys are?" asked Gohan.

"Nope," Dawn said. "All we know is that there's two of them right now, and one of them is artificial, because they won't give off any Ki."

Before anything else, Pan inquired about something. "Wait a minute," she said. "I thought the Ki of gods couldn't be sensed? Doesn't that make this person a god?"

Dawn answered, "No, not quite. Artifical beings don't have any Ki, but we can sense their presence. Gods do have Ki, but us non-gods can't sense it or them. It might seem confusing, but there's a marginal difference."

"Yeah, I get it now," Pan said. "But hey, what say all of you we go track down these two?"

Goku agreed eagerly. "Yeah! Let's go right away!"

"Wait!" Chi-Chi suddenly shouted. "You four need to shower first. You want to look and smell your best, don't you? And Dawn, you're undoubtedly hungry by now."

Dawn replied. "Thank you. I am pretty hungry..."

Next time, the Z-Fighters set off to investigate the strange energy occurences in time! Something unexpected stands in their way, though. Come back for _**Dragon Ball Universe**_ **#14**!


	18. Part 14

Time Breakers Arc: "Wasted Training?"

While many deserts have extreme heat, some are especially unbearable. The Empty Desert is no exception. As the name implies, no single being has attempted to live there and survive. It is close to impossible for the average Human to keep their skin unscorched after a few seconds of so little as standing within the premises of the desert. The heat only increases further in towards the center. As clearly defined, the Empty Desert is a competitor for the most unbearable place on Earth.

The Z-Fighters arrived here and looked around. Their superhuman strength would protect them from the heat, but it wouldn't help forever.

"All right," Dawn said. "One of those weird outbursts is emitting from over here."

At the very next moment, a group of Cells appeared, engulfed in the same purple aura as the lone one was earlier.

Pan readied herself for attack and wondered, "What's the deal with these guys? I thought they all shut down when Perfect Cell got destroyed."

"I'm wondering about that too," said Gohan. "It's undoubtedly linked to those energy occurences, so we'll find out when we find the source."

The Z-Fighters took down each of the Cells, though using much more effort than they originally did.

Goku acknowledged this and said, "Wow... if these guys were this strong even after our training, whoever's doing this isn't messing around!"

"Assuming **someone** is behind it?" Dawn replied.

"Well, yeah. The energy isn't natural enough for this to just happen. There's definitely a living being causing it. Or, well, beings, I guess."

Walking slowly past the rubble was a familiar tall, green figure, sporting the same dark aura.

"Perfect Cell," Goku said with a suddenly deepened voice. "I should've expected this after your smaller buddies."

Perfect Cell remained silent and charged at Goku, following up with a hard gut kick. Goku responded by throwing a kick to Perfect Cell's arm faster than one can blink.

With some further combat, Perfect Cell noticeably overpowered Goku in power. However, his skill and speed remained lower than Goku's.

Still, Goku called for the Z-Fighters, "Let's go! We need to retreat."

Trusting his command, the team left and went back to Goku's house.

"Man," said Gohan. "What are we supposed to do now? Was our training for nothing?"

Pan replied, "Well, you guys have Super Saiyan... but will it really be enough? Something tells me that the Cells are only going to get stronger, and we might see more familiar faces soon enough."

Gohan again said, "Do you think Dr. Gero could be back? There's no other place the Cells could've come from without..."

"Time travel," Dawn said abruptly. "It's no coincidence that the Ki in that dark aura is very similar to what the Time Patrol's been tracking. It has to be a time traveler."

Suddenly, right as Dawn finished speaking, a large capsule-shaped object appeared in front of the Z-Fighters. It was none other than a time machine.

Who or what lies within the time machine? Could it be friendly or deadly? Answers in _**Dragon Ball Universe**_ **#15**!


	19. Part 15

Time Breakers Arc: "A New Friend and Old Foes"

The time machine hummed as it stood idly by. The sound was gradually becoming more faint, until it abruptly stopped. The dome on the top of the machine opened up, and a young man with purple hair, and dressed in black clothes. Yes, it was Trunks, the same person spoken of by Dawn.

He introduced himself by starting simple. "Hello. I'm Trunks. Dawn here may have already told you about me. I'm a member of the Time Patrol."

Goku walked up to Trunks and happily greeted him. "Well, hello there! I'm Goku, and this is-"

"I know who you guys are," Trunks interrupted. "It's the duty of the Time Patrol to get at least a little info on just about everyone."

"Oh," Goku replied. "I see, then. I'll remember that."

"Well, now that you blew your cover," said Dawn, "why don't we all go try investigating the energy outbursts? The time machine works as a mode of transport, ya know."

Gohan replied, "Well, I don't see why not. Let's go, then!"

"All right, I'll tag along," said Trunks.

Following a short travel time, the time machine arrived in the arctic.

"Let's split up into a couple groups," Goku suggested. "It'll make it easier to search around, won't it?"

"That'll work," said Trunks. "I'd say two teams should do."

The teams chosen ended up as Goku, Dawn, and Trunks for Team A, and Gohan, Goten, and Pan for Team B.

Following a brief walk, Team A came to an area filled with glaciers on the surrounding sides. A rather thin layer of ice provided the surface for the group's feet.

Goku cautiously warned his teammates of this. "Careful," he said. "The ground here isn't very stable. If something happens and any one of us raise our power too high, we'll fall into the water."

"And who knows what's in there," added Trunks.

A few yards away, a very familiar figure stepped foot onto the ice. Once again, it was Perfect Cell, surrounded by a dark aura.

"You again?!" Dawn said as she suddenly charged at Perfect Cell, while also attempting to keep her power low. She took a swing at him, but he easily dodged and countered with his own kick.

This turned into a fight, of course. However, Dawn started raising her energy level too high for the area.

"What are you doing?!" Goku shouted. "If you raise your power too high-!"

Goku was a second too late. Dawn's power rose just high enough to melt not only the ice, but every last glacier around the team.

Elsewhere, Team B arrived in an open ice field. The difference here wasn't simply the lack of glaciers; the ice was also extremely thick, making it even more reliable than normal soil.

"Fortunately, we came across the sturdy surface," Gohan pointed out.

Another figure descended in the sky, being none other than a dark aura-engulfed Freeza.

Without a second thought, Goten leaped at Freeza with a punch. "I didn't get to fight him last time!" he yelled.

Freeza was clearly overpowered by Goten. He couldn't dodge one hit, nor land a single one of his own. Yet, suddenly, Freeza's aura exploded for a moment, resulting in a massive power boost setting him quite above Goten.

Not long after, Goten charged his energy. His eyes turned emerald green and his hair spiked up and became gold. As a Super Saiyan, he fired a beam of Ki towards Freeza that sent him flying into the sky, far away.

"Nice one, Goten!" said Pan, praising Goten. "I'm impressed that you can go Super Saiyan at your age. That training really paid off."

"I'm proud of you as well," Gohan added. "Make it count!"

Goten blushed and replied, "Thanks, guys. Should we go check on the others?"

"Yeah, let's do," Gohan said.

Where are these past villains coming from? What will become of Team A? Will the source of the energy outbursts be found? The quest continues next time in _**Dragon Ball Universe**_ **#16**!


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